As we await the release of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final rule on the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA), we want to update you on our latest advocacy work and new physician resources. Through the MACRA Task Force and various work groups, the AMA and the Federation have been collaborating to develop strategic approaches to our advocacy, along with consistent messaging.
The AMA recently filed extensive comments on CMS’ proposed rule, emphasizing the need for greater flexibility and choice.
We saw further evidence that CMS has been listening to physician concerns, when CMS Acting Administrator Andy Slavitt announced that physicians can choose among four options to avoid payment penalties in 2019. Medicine welcomed CMS’ decision to allow physicians to pick their own pace for the initial MACRA reporting period in 2017 as a positive step toward giving all physicians a fair opportunity to succeed.
Although details on MACRA implementation will not be available until the final rule is released later this fall, we have developed a number of resources to help physician practices begin to prepare for the transition to the new payment system:
- MACRA website: Includes a checklist with steps practices can take now to prepare, an action kit and slideshow with information about what is in the proposed rule, an outline of advocacy efforts, a “Guide to physician-focused payment models,” and additional resources
- AMA STEPS Forward® module, “Preparing your practice for value-based care:” CME-accredited activity provides steps to take, answers to common questions and case vignettes
- New podcast series “Inside Medicare’s new payment system:” Produced by ReachMD, these downloadable audio stories feature interviews with industry experts and physician leaders including CMS’ Andy Slavitt, AMA President Andrew Gurman, MD, and the AMA’s Richard Deem and Michael Tutty
- AMA Wire®: Ongoing articles on the latest MACRA developments, how physicians are participating in new models of care, and more
There is much more to come this fall as we release our new web-based tool to help physicians understand which MACRA pathway is best for them and assess its impact on their practice, and we develop new resources after the final rule is released. We are also planning regional seminars on MACRA, as well as webinars for physicians and “train the trainer” webinars for medical society staff.
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